"Teaming is part of FFA"
I understand that people have fallen into acceptance that the best way to play FFA is to cooperate with your opposite player in the early game. I just don't accept that on multiple levels.
First of all, it is a Free For All game. It is even stated in the rules that "pre-determined" cooperation is not allowed, and yet here we have a meta that has evolved toward just that. Pre-determined cooperation with your opposite. Players just don't need to chat about it because it is considered "basic knowledge". Essentially, they did discuss it, just not during the game. Isn't that effectively the same as saying "let's team up" at the beginning of the game? Why does the method and timing of communicating a plan, change the rules governing that plan?
It is a bit silly to be asked "Do you really want your FFA game to be everyone for themselves?!" Well yeah, I clicked on FFA didn't I?
I realize that temporary teaming happens in pretty much all (non-chess) FFA games, and I have no issue with it, it is part of the fun and I think the decision to prevent players from chatting about alliances is actually against the spirit of true FFA. But of course you would have even more whiney players getting mad that another player lied to them, so I get that they probably were trying to just reduce the amount of enraged arguments flying around. I am also aware of Diplomacy mode but I haven't had much luck finding those games and I'm not particularly interested in playing unrated games (at least I thought Diplomacy was unrated?)
Another issue with this whole idea is that it can easily become a self fulfilling prophecy. As soon as word gets out that this is the best way to play, people just start doing it, without really testing it or knowing why it is (supposedly) the best way. Then, if you find yourself flanked by two cooperating players and opposed by one non-cooperating player, you might be totally screwed (all 3 might attack you) and this experience will push you to want to cooperate with your opposite only to mitigate the team action happening against you. See the problem here? If those players weren't teaming, then you would not be ushered into the opp-teaming camp.
If there's a solid study showing that opp-teaming is advantageous I'd love to see it... but WAIT, advantageous to whom? If all four players are using this strategy, then who gets the advantage? If everyone gets the same advantage then there is no advantage. So what is the point?
In the above example, how would it play out if two flanked players teamed up instead? Suddenly you are better off teaming up with your other flank. It seems like the real reason people don't consider that is because they have been told it's always better to team with your opp, because attacking a flank is positionally easier especially in early game. But there are possibilities for attacking your opp or teaming with your flank. Perhaps it happens less often, I could accept that. But if it never happens because players have accepted the current meta, then the issue is really that people are just falling into line instead of thinking independently and playing a true FFA.
But the complaints here are not all about teaming or lack of teaming... they are also about players making bad or spiteful moves. It's just unrealistic to expect all the other players in an FFA game to operate with this perfect vision that you have of the game. It's like you want all players to do the "right" moves, never making a mistake or poor decision, unless of course you are about to win and then I guess wrong moves are okay?
Again, if everyone teamed with their opposite and played all the "right" moves, all you have is a team game until someone gets eliminated. And a stale one at that, if people are afraid to backstab and manipulate when it goes against the current meta.
I just wish we were allowed to chat freely in-game to mitigate this. At least there would be some chance for alternative alliances, perhaps they are less optimal but how will players find out if they are always railroaded into something else?
Teaming with your op is part ffa Everything Indipendenza said makes sence. I'm only 2050 and people do the same things, zombie king to avoid checkmate etc.